Stereo Hearts
by Hidden Berserker
Summary: The Grand Highblood was at his wit's end. He couldn't find anyone able to work with his descendant for extended periods of time. However a calming walk in the park took him to the solution to his problems. He can only hope this red headed human can see something in Gamzee that no one else can.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: HOMESTUCK AND ITS CHARACTERS ALL BELONG TO ANDREW HUSSIE. LORD HAVE MERCY ON HIS SOUL FOR KILLING OFF OUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS, ANYWAYS, I ONLY OWN VARA AND ANY OC'S THAT COME TO MIND.**

* * *

"I can't work with him anymore! I quit!"

Nashir was at his wit's end. That was the 12th human to quit in the past week. He rubbed his temples in barely controlled frustration. "Mirthful Messiahs – Signless!"

The highblood's moirail and secretary began to shush him before he decided to strangle his descendent. "Don't worry, I'll post another add in the paper tomorrow morning. Why don't you go for a walk to rest your nerves?"

The highblood sighed. "You're motherfuckin' right," he agreed, "I need to calm the fuck down before I up and kull my descendent." The indigo blood took one last look at a younger version of him leaning back in his chair with a sad expression before he left the radio station.

* * *

Nashir found himself in the park sitting on a bench, watching the world go by as he drank from a bottle of grape Faygo. His large frame took up almost the entire bench as he tipped his head back to get a better view of the cloudy sky. The highblood would never get used to the fact that he could go out during the day and not worry about dying in the blistering heat, for unlike Alternia, Earth's sun allowed trolls to be out during the day without going blind or dying from a heat stroke. The usually tireless troll gave a tired sigh.

"What's got you so down?" a light voice asked the highblood. The troll's brows furrowed. It couldn't have been a troll that addressed him because they would have mentioned his title, and most humans were too scared to approach the intimidating troll.

Nashir brought his head up to see what human was insane enough to address an indigo so casually. He had to look down, even when sitting, to find a young human female with blood red hair, wide violet eyes, and tan skin. The highblood sighed, "My descendant is driving me up the fuckin' wall. He has talent and potential but I can't find a human that can stand him for extended periods of time."

The human gave him a sympathetic look as she sat down at the edge of the bench, the only spot left available, "Well, why is that? He can't be that bad."

Nashir laughed humorlessly, "According to the humans, he's unbearably retarded, but they're just ignorant motherfuckers."

"What makes them think he's retarded?" the woman asked.

Nashir paused, eyeing the redhead cautiously, "They think he's retarded because they don't look into what he says. It comes off to them as worthless ramblings, but he's trying to get a good discussion going on."

"What are you doing? Is it some kind of project to get humans and trolls to get along more?" she asked with furrowed brows, the corners of her lips pulling down in thought.

The highblood sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Something motherfuckin' like that. I'm trying to set up a radio station with both human and troll broadcasters."

The redhead's eyes widened at the thought, "I can't say I've heard of anything like that, but when you manage to get it off the ground I'll be sure to tune in."

For the first time in a long while, Nashir gave a genuine smile, "At least somebody has faith us." Then, as if lightning struck, the indigo looked down at the little human woman in a new light.

"What's your motherfuckin' name?"

A brow disappeared under her hair line as she smirked at the taller troll. She held her hand out with a smile, "I'm Vara Afolter, pleasure to meet you…"

"Nashir Makara," he answered before getting straight to the point. "How would you like to up and motherfuckin' meet my descendant?" Vara gave him an unsure look. She may have been brave enough to approach a highblood, but that didn't mean she was stupid enough to go off with a stranger. Seeing her expression, the troll gave her a pleading look, "Please sis, do a motherfucker a favor."

Vara sighed and reluctantly agreed, "You think with you being as big and scary as you are that that look wouldn't work."

Nashir gave her a satisfied grin, "I didn't up and hear a motherfuckin' no." The highblood hopped off the bench, nearly knocking the smaller human girl over. He waited patiently for her to collect herself before he began to lead her down to the radio station.

* * *

Needless to say that Signless was surprised to find his moirail walking through the doors sooner than expected, let alone with a young human woman in tow. Vara waved awkwardly at the troll as she passed, hurrying to keep up with the taller trolls longer stride. "He should still be in the control room," he said excitedly. He soon ducked into the room wear a young troll with a striking resemblance to Nashir sat with a sad expression and a faygo in hand.

The troll Vara assumed to be Gamzee turned his big sad eyes towards his ancestor. His sorrowful eyes lit up at the new arrival in both recognition and poorly concealed hope. She couldn't physically see anything wrong with him. All she saw was a troll around her age wearing a black shirt with Capricorn star sign in indigo, dark grey pants with lighter gray polka dots, purple converse, and the face paint that indigo blooded trolls were known for. "I motherfuckin' know you!" he exclaimed happily.

Vara was taken aback by this information, "Really?"

"Yeah! You're the miracle girl from the café!" he was practically shouted in joy.

Nashir looked between the two's expressions of confusion and excitement with a raised brow, "How do you know lil mama?"

"She was singing at the café last week on slam poetry night. She sounded like a motherfuckin' angel," Gamzee said with a slightly dazed look, unaware of the way Vara was attempting to hide herself behind her red bangs. He soon returned his attention to the girl standing next to his ancestor, "So have you always up and performed on stage or was that like a motherfuckin' in the moment kind of thing?"

Vara's blush traveled down her neck as she sputtered for a reply, "I lost a bet, so my friends made me go sing. Of course, that was my first time singing in front of so many people since I was a kid."

"What was the motherfuckin' bet?" the troll asked curiously, unaware of his ancestor slowly slipping out of the room with a smug grin.

If possible, Vara's face became an even deeper shade of red. "I bet that I would miss something on one of my tests, and Dirk bet that I would get an A+. Low and behold come Friday, the next day I received that A+. The loser had to do whatever the winner wanted them to, and Dirk being Dirk wanted me to sing at the café."

"Don't up and motherfuckin' take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you lost that bet. You sounded like a motherfuckin' miracle," Gamzee mused. Unbeknownst to the remaining inhabitants of the room, Nashir had put them on air and their conversation was being broadcasted all over the city.

Vara gave the troll a small, embarrassed smile, for being called a miracle by a subjugulator was the highest compliment one could receive. "Thank you Gamzee. Hey, you think it'd be okay if we have some music in here? I can't stand silence," she requested.

"No motherfuckin' problem lil mama, all the speakers in the building are hooked up to my husktop, so I can up and play anything you want," the young highblood explained. Gamzee simply pulled up his playlist and pressed play, hoping the red head would appreciate his taste in music.

Vara closed her eyes and readied herself for whatever music the indigo liked to listen to. She wasn't very surprised to find that he liked Hip-Hop and R&B, she just though him the type to like that genre. "You've got great taste in music, Gamzee. I've noticed that you have some slam poetry mixed in. Would that be your planet's version of rap music?" she inquired curiously, having never directly interacted with a troll for anything except a class assignment.

The troll nodded in confirmation, "Yeah, there were some good slam poets back home, but I've found that there are a lot mutherfuckin' more of them here. Not a lot of trolls think slam poetry is all that fuckin' great. A lot more of them are showing up because now they can make money. On Alternia, slam poetry is more of a hobby than anything else."

"Don't indigos have natural artistic talent?" Vara asked curiously, wanting to see if the rumor was true.

Gamzee gave her an amused grin, "Nah, lil mama, we all have to practice equally hard to get better. Some are better at certain fuckin' things than others, and you have to up and find that talent."

"Huh," Vara mused, "trolls aren't that different from humans, so why is there so much hostility between our species? I mean, I can understand how most highbloods abide by the old ways and see humans as mutants and lowbloods, but there is so much hate going around. What do you think the problem might be?"

"Woah," Gamzee breathed with wide eyes as he thought it over, "that's a deep motherfuckin' question."

Vara's eyes widened at this, "Oh, I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that! My friends always tell me I think too much." She was quite embarrassed that she asked such a question to someone she just met, and a troll no less.

Gamzee waved a hand at her dismissively, "Don't worry about it lil mama, it's a really good question. I honestly don't motherfuckin' know the answer to it though because there are a lot of reasons that humans and trolls don't get along. I think it's because of how some highbloods don't want to give up the power they had over lower blooded trolls when the old ways were still in order. After we took the Condesce out of power most trolls were okay with the hemospectrum being destroyed, fuck, even the lime bloods, who we thought to be extinct after Condesce had the subjugs destroy them, are showing up again, but that caused a problem for the Condesce's followers who agreed with her fucked up ways. I mean the lady literally forced a matespritship on another troll by chaining him up and using him as a power source. But then there's the motherfuckin' question of humans, you guys had segregation long before we arrived and while we've been waiting for change and accepting of it, humans are more underhanded about how they show their dislike of different races. Though the open-minded humans I've met who are like you make my day worth motherfuckin' something because it gives a lot of trolls hope that something would change. I have to say coming here was definitely for the better of our species. Feferi is a great Empress that everyone loves, and Meenah is taking the business world by fuckin' storm. All my friends are living better lives than ever before and I can't help but think that we're pretty fortunate to have found this planet."

Vara was nearly speechless by the end of the highblood's thought provoking musings. "Wow Gamzee, that was pretty deep. I don't know about any other human being, but I'd like to meet the trolls of different blood colors and cultures. I mean every human in the world had questioned if aliens existed. The trolls landing here was a humbling experience, that taught us how arrogant we were to think that we were the only planet out there with intelligent life. Now all I have is curiosity as to how you used to do things on your home planet and what it was like," she said wistfully.

"Maybe we can help each other out. If you decide to up and stay here to help host the show, I'm sure you'll talk to trolls from all over Alternia. You can teach me about human culture, or at least the cultures you know about, that way we'd be up and motherfuckin' educating each other," Gamzee offered.

Vara fell silent for a bit. One part of her was screaming for her to take the offer, while the other was second guessing, wondering what her parents would think about her working with trolls considering they didn't exactly have the best view of them. However in that moment, all she saw was great opportunity to learn something valuable, so forgoing all thought of her parents, Vara gave the juggalo a large grin, "I think I like the sound of that, just tell me when's our first day on the job."

"You already had your first day," Nashir said as entered the room and took them off the air. "While you two were talking, I had you broadcasted all over Louisiana."

"You were that confident I'd say yes?" Vara asked irritably, thinking about how awkward it could have been had she said no.

The highblood had the decency to look sheepish at his actions, "I had a fuck-ton of hope that you would – Ow!"

The highblood whined as a clipboard met the back of his head. Squeezing past the huge troll in the doorway, Signless glared at his moirail for tricking his descendent and a girl he found on the streets into hosting a trial run. "You're lucky Vara accepted Gamzee's offer otherwise you would have had a hard time finding humans to take her place." The mutant shook his head in exasperation at his close friend's troublesome ways. He had tried multiple times to end the feed, but Nashir picked him up by the scruff of his neck and sat him back in his seat, simply telling him to watch how they interacted. Though he was skeptical, Signless had gradually saw what Nashir was trying to get him to see. For the first time, he saw a human treat Gamzee with respect and talk to him like he was a regular person. Everyone else who'd stepped into the room took one glance at the troll and treated him like a child, not allowing him to do anything and monopolizing the entire room. Vara didn't do that, she simply let Gamzee work how he did best and held the most thought provoking conversation out of the hundreds that'd been in the room with him.

At first when the highblood told him how he met the small human, he began to truly wonder if his moirail had finally lost the last of his sanity, but as he watched the conversation continue, he found that it was the most Gamzee had spoken in all of their test runs. He didn't miss toothy grin that grew on the young troll's face when Vara accepted nor the worried look he had when she thought the offer over.

"Who cares? We finally have someone who can work with my descendant. This calls for a motherfuckin' celebration!" Nashir cheered with a happy honk.

"I second that motherfuckin' motion," Gamzee agreed eagerly before turning to ask the red head for her opinion. "What about you lil mama?"

Vara shrugged with a small smile, "I don't see why not. Tomorrow's a Satrday anyway."

All heads turned to the stern looking mutant blood, who's hard eyes softened at the sight of the pleading looks sent his way. "Fine, but you're paying," Signless relented with a playful glare at his moirail who smirked in triumph.


	2. Chapter 2: Chance Encounter

**DISCLAIMER: HOMESTUCK AND ALL IT'S CHARACTERS DON'T BELONG TO ME AND THE ONLY PERSON THAT IS REMOTELY MINE IS VARA.**

* * *

When Vara went to college the next day, she was met by various stares ranging from, shock and admiration, to disgust and pure hatred. "Vara!" a familiar voice called.

Vara turned in the direction of the voice to see her friend John Egbert running to meet her. She gave him a small smile, and stopped allowing him to catch up to her. "Good morning John," she said to the panting young man.

"Morning…Vara," he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"What's got you so excited?" she asked curiously as she rubbed circles on his back to help his breathe easier.

"I heard you on the radio yesterday! When were you going to tell me that you were a radio show host?!" he demanded good naturedly. John Egbert was what most people would consider a nerd with his square framed glasses, slight overbite, and Ghost Busters t-shirt, but what won people over were his bright blue puppy dog eyes his wide joyous grins that one can't help but to return.

"I just found out I was gonna be one yesterday," she said with a sheepish smile as they fell into step on the way to their first classes. John dropped her off at her class before leaving for his. After bidding John goodbye, she climbed the steps of the lecture room and sat in her seat. She opened her textbook to the proper chapter and was jumped when she got a light tap on the shoulder. She turned her head to the owner of the hand and found the blue blooded troll in steampunk clothing that never really talked to anyone.

He gave her a shy smile, "Excuse me, but would you happen to have a pen that I could use?" The troll was a tall, thinly built troll. He wore a set of goggles that covered the upper part of his face, a long sleeved high collared vest that had gold buttons holding it place, slightly baggy dark brown pants, and combat boots of a lighter hue of brown. Add in the fact that his hair was pulled back into a pretty ponytail and you have yourself a gentle badass, if that was even possible.

Vara gave him a small smile back, "It's alright, I think I have one in my bag." The red head reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a blue gel pen, handing it off to the high blood. "Will this do?"

The blue blood's face lit up in a relieved smile, "Oh thank you very much! This is so embarrassing! I usually come to class prepared. I've been so distracted lately."

Vara gave the troll a reassuring pat on the back, "It's alright, I won't tell anyone that you forgot something, as far as I know you came prepared."

The blue blood gave her the most adorable smile she'd ever seen. "My name is Horuss Zahhak, and you are?"

"Vara Afolter, pleasure to meet you," she responded, holding her hand out for the troll to take. Horuss shook her hand, and they both sat straight as the professor finally walked into the classroom. They were to design and create an invention, and it has to work by the end of the semester. They were allowed to partner with anyone of their choice so long as they didn't distract each other.

Vara was pondering on what she wanted to build when she suddenly remembered the anime that Dave and Dirk had gotten her to watch. With that thought in mind she got out her sketchbook and immediate started creating her rough draft. She was trying to figure out how to fuel the invention when she heard Horuss's voice by her ear. "What are you inventing?" he asked, looking down at the sketch curiously.

Vara blushed sheepishly, "Well you see, these are going to be AT's, basically automated rollerblades. I got the idea from this anime my friends got me to watch, but I can't figure out what could possibly fuel them."

Horuss got a serious look on his face as he took in her strange predicament, "My inventions usually run on steam power, perhaps we can change the AT's to do the same."

"We?" Vara raised a brow, noticing how the blue blood included himself.

A blue blush spread on his cheeks as he laughed nervously, "How rude of me! What I meant to say was, we can if we partner up, if that is alright with you."

Vara smiled at the troll, "We better get to work if we want to get to begin building them." The red head found it adorable how the ravenette's visible features became completely blue, and found it amusing when he began to sweat profusely.

"Y-yes! Right away!" from there the pair were able to create the blue prints for the project and would meet at the blue blood's house to continue from where they leave off due to him having the materials. When Vara told Horuss about her job at the radio station with the Makaras he was very understanding about it and agreed to meet her after she was off. He even asked her what the other Makaras were like.

"Others?" Vara asked curiously, she had originally thought it was just Gamzee and Nashir.

Horuss nodded in confirmation, "Yes. I know the middle Makara, Kurloz. I used to be his matesprit's moirail."

"His what?" she asked in confusion. Trolls were still fairly new to her, so their terms were confusing to her.

"His matesprit's – Oh! I'm sorry, I assumed you knew, but I keep forgetting how new trolls are to this planet," he apologized. "Any who, a matesprit is, in the most basic of human is the troll you love, and a moirail is essentially a best friend, though sometimes moirails won't like each other and its more of an obligation."

"Oh," Vara nodded in acceptance before her brows furrowed in thought, "but you said used to be, what happened? From what little I know about trolls, positive relationships are close ones right?"

Her heart felt a twinge of sadness when she saw the sad smile on his face, "Our moiraillegiance didn't work out for either of us. She wasn't the best help when it came to my feelings, so when we felt it was getting unhealthy we ended the relationship."

"But you still miss her," it was more of a statement than a question. Without thinking, she put a hand on the blue blood's shoulder, comforting him as best as she could.

Horuss nodded sadly, but still kept his smile though it was completely forced. "It's alright, these kind of things happen all the time. A troll's ultimate goal is to fill all four of their quadrants, you just have to find the right people to fill them."

Trying to lift the somber mood surrounding the troll, Vara tried decided to change the subject. "What are the other two quadrants, if you don't mind me asking?"

The troll's smile became more genuine at the question, "I've already explained to you the flushed quadrants, or the positive quadrants. We have two more ashen quadrants, dealing with our negative emotions. The first is the auspistice quadrant, which is the only quadrant with three trolls. The auspistice's job is to mediate between two trolls and prevent their feud from boiling over into a caliginous rivalry. Then there is the kismesis, which I can't find and accurate human translations for, but the closest would be a potent arch-rivalry with sexual tension present."

Vara paused to take all of it before her brows knit in confusion, "Wouldn't it be better if you didn't need a kismesis?"

Horuss chuckled at this question, "How is a troll supposed to become stronger or become more wise without someone to challenge them?"

"I guess that makes sense," Vara answered hesitantly, reluctantly seeing the necessity of those who hate you.

Noticing how hard she was thinking on it, Horuss decided to change the subject to a lighter subject, "Pray tell, what is your schedule?" He brought is own out of his backpack. Vara pulled her own out to find that she had most of her classes with him except for music.

She noticed the horses on his backpack, "You like horses?" Horuss immediately perked up and went on a semi-long rant about the beauty of horses that amused the redhead to no end. She laughed at the end of his rant, causing the troll to blush in embarrassment.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to babble," Horuss stuttered.

Vara waved him off, and continued to giggle, "It's no problem, I get the same way when I have a really good idea, double that if someone could catch on to what I'm thinking. Also, I can see why you like horses so much, but I pretty much grew up around them because my uncle owns a ranch – "

Horuss's large hands dropping on her shoulders cut her off, prompting her to look in his wide awe filled eyes, "You _must_ tell me what its like! Do you take care of them? Brush their manes? Did your uncle allow you to ride the hoof beasts?! I must know!"

"Slow down, one question at a time Horuss!" Vara exclaimed, getting dizzy from being fiercely shaken by the excited troll. Said troll complied but continued to give her an expectant look, waiting eagerly for details. Vara had to stop and blink a few times so the room would stop spinning, "Yes, I did help take care of them, and I loved to brush their manes. And yes, Uncle Jamal let me ride them to stretch their legs, but he always told me to be careful because his horses are big."

"Do you happen to know what breed they are?" Horuss asked curiously, completely enamored by the thought of the majestic beasts.

Vara made a face as she tried to remember, "He has three or four Clydesdales, a pair of shires, and pretty white Belgian horse."

Horuss sighed dreamily, "Such strong breeds. Do you think they'd be able to carry me?"

Vara smiled in amusement, happy to see how excited the troll was, "They're pretty strong so it wouldn't be hard for them to carry you." Their conversation was cut short when the bell rang for them to go to their next class. Vara groaned in dread when she suddenly remembered that her art class was halfway across campus, meaning she'd have to run in order to make it in time. "C'mon Horuss, we'd better hurry if we don't want to be late." They hurried out of the classroom, and Vara nearly tripped over the taller troll when he suddenly kneeled in front of her. She gave him a puzzled look as he looked back at her.

"It would be faster this way," Horuss said, fighting a blush and sweating profusely. Vara didn't argue, noticing how some people were starting to stare, and just went with it. When she was properly situated on his back the blue blood carefully stood up and tapped his left heel on the ground twice, deactivating the steam powered de-strengtheners in his legs. "Hold on tight," he ordered gently. The redhead complied and tightened her hold on his neck and was glad she did because once he thought her grip was tight enough, he took off running.

And damn was he fast!

Vara had to bury her face into the blue blood's shoulder to keep the wind from whipping her hair into her face. Unfortunately that didn't help as much as she thought it was because Horuss's hair just whipped at her neck. Her stomach lurched when the troll skidded to a halt mere feet from the classroom door. "That was awesome!" Vara exclaimed excitedly as Horuss gently sat her down.

The blue blood gave her a shocked look, "R-really?" Vara nodded vigorously, earning an amused smirk from her new troll friend. He held the door open for her as they slipped into the empty classroom. They realized that they'd arrived early due, so they decided to pick out their seats for the rest of the year, and whispered about their project. Not long after they arrived, more people entered the classroom and filled out the seats around them.

A tall, indigo-blooded troll sat next to the pair, giving them, drawing their attention to him for two different reasons as he pulled out a well-worn sketchbook. He bore a strong resemblance to her coworker. His hair was more grown out than Gamzee's and because of that, it engulfed half of his horns and curled around his face in a way that made it seem small. He had skeletal face paint and followed the theme with a skeleton jumpsuit with purple shorts and boots. Vara liked his outfit and vaguely wondered why his lips were stitched shut.

He took note of them and gave a closed eyed smile as he waved at them. Horuss grinned at him and happily waved back, "Hello Kurloz! How are you today?" The troll, Kurloz, used sign language to reply, and Vara took note of how Horuss seemed to understand him.

"Oh, forgive my manners, this is my friend Vara. She and I will be working on an invention together," he answered.

Kurloz nodded and held a hand out to her, grinning when she took it and gave it a firm shake. He signed to her, but she only furrowed her brows in confusion, unsure of what he was saying, "I'm sorry, I don't know sign language."

Kurloz nodded in understanding as Horuss translated for him. "He asked if you were the same person that Gamzee couldn't stop talking about?"

The redhead perked up at the familiar name and nodded, "All good things I assume?" Kurloz answered with a wide grin as he nodded.

"He said that you were a smart lil mama with an open mind and great tasted in music," Horuss served as their medium so they better communicate.

Vara prided herself in the fact that she was the hipster of music. She would always find the best new artists or songs before they were general knowledge. She would introduce them to her friends and from there it would spread through their school within a week. Now her job was to simply introduce any new music and artists as well as talking about the things that go on around the world. She'd be lying to say that she wasn't looking forward to it.

Overall the class was relatively laid back. All they had to do was fill a portfolio of all their pieces and hand it in. Every month there would be a specific topic or idea that they'd need to hand in to the teacher. They were required to do at least three different art styles for their portfolio and everything else would be a participation or quiz grade.

Vara waved goodbye to Horuss after he gave her the address to his house, but not before the blue blood gave her a warning. "My apologies for not mentioning this earlier, but I must warn you about my ancestor and fellow descendant. You see, they are stuck in the old ways and believe that your kind are beneath them. Please do not be offended if they give you orders or talk down at you, it is just the way they are."

Vara nodded her understanding and gave him a reassuring smile, "It's alright Horuss. I'll try my best not to offend them." Horuss gave her a grateful smile and left her to go to his next class, leaving her with Kurloz who gestured for her to lead the way. The redhead wasn't sure how she was to communicate with the troll now that their translator had left.

Suddenly, she felt this intrusive feeling in her mind. **"Are you going back to the station?"** The deep, raspy voice that echoed in her mind made Vara flinch as she looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Kurloz's shoulders shook with laughter as he chuckled at the young woman. Hearing his throaty chuckles, Vara turned her head to the mute troll with a raised brow. The voice returned, **"Don't worry lil mama, you're not losing your think pan. I'm using my chucklevoodoos commune with you."**

Vara was slightly disturbed by the fact that he easily entered her mind, but pushed that matter aside for later. Instead, she answered his question, "Well, to answer your question, yes. I'm returning to the station after my classes are over."

The taller indigo heaved a sigh of relief, **"You don't understand how glad I am to here that. Most humans don't come back the next day."**

Vara nodded but furrowed her brow in thought, "I honestly don't see anything wrong with Gamze. He's intelligent, thoughtful, and very sweet, so what could be so bad that all the others before me couldn't stand to stay?"

She looked up at Kurloz when he didn't answer, and her eyes widened at the hostile scowl that was there. She knew it wasn't directed at her, but she was afraid for the person it was for. **"They were ignorant motherfuckers that thought Gamzee was a fuckin' stoner. They would belittle the motherfucker and make him feel bad even when he did something right."**

A deep frown marred Vara at this news, "Well that's not fair to Gamzee. He's working just as hard as anyone else to make this work, so why would they try to exclude him like that?"

Kurloz scoffed, **"They saw him as competition. Even if he was competing, did they honestly think we would fire him just because they didn't get along?"** Vara chuckled at this.

"That does seem pretty unrealistic," she mused before seeing a familiar door coming up. "Well Kurloz, it was nice talking to you, but I've got to get to class. Thanks for walking me." She took off to her classroom, running backward to wave at the Makara and turning forward once he reciprocated it.

When she reached her music class, which was just down the hall, she found a couple of familiar faces, one of which she found the most shocking. "Gamzee?!"

Said indigo troll turned at his named and a wide grin spread on his face when he found the person who called him. "Sup Sis! What're the motherfuckin' chances?" he asked as he approached her, giving her a fist bump in greeting.

"Since when were you in my music class?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Since I up and motherfuckin' realized that school started last week," Gamzee answered nonchalantly.

The redhead furrowed her brows at this, "Don't they send a letter letting you know when the semester starts?"

Gamzee laughed unabashedly, "I motherfuckin' forgot where I up and put it."

Vara couldn't help but chuckle with as they went to find a seat, "Well I'm glad to see a familiar face." They didn't say anything else as the teacher walked in.

"Alright guys, today I want you all to play or sing a song for me so I can gauge what we need to work on. I will call you up and – " the teacher was cut off by knocking at the door. He opened it to find a tall blonde human with a grey baseball cap on his head and triangular shades that hid his eyes as he gave their teacher, Professor Carter gave the young man a blank stare. "Late again Dirk, and I was hoping you'd make it this time," he sighed.

The young man, Dirk, bowed apologetically to him, "I'm sorry man, I really tried this time." You could see that from the way that was panting, His clothes didn't exactly work in his favor. Dirk was clad head to toe in black. Though the tank top he wore may have given him more room to breathe, it was still black, which absorbed more of the heat than his other clothes. His face was shining with sweat as he looked up at the teacher and pouted.

Carter sighed and gave him a stern look, "Take a seat Strider." The blonde grinned at the professor and, in an impressive show of acrobatics, hopped onto the first set of desks and performed a double front flip into his seat beside Vara.

"Show off," she snorted as she gave Dirk a brofist without looking. Dirk chuckled at her as they brought their attention back to the teacher, Vara promising to explain her actions to a confused Gamzee after class.

"As I was saying, I'll call you up and have you perform for the class. I'll give you a few minutes to gather your thoughts before we begin," Professor Carter said, before setting up the microphones and instruments that they had the option of using.

The trio whispered to each other, discussing what they would sing. After a few minutes of debate, Vara got an idea and whispered excitedly into each of their ears about what songs she thought that they should sing. Gamzee and Dirk's eyes widened before wide grins spread on their faces. "Motherfuckin' miracles, lil mama," he chuckled ruffling her hair.

When Gamzee removed his hand Dirk took his cap of his head and put it on Vara's, pushing the bill over her eyes. Vara giggled and raised the bill enough to see, but kept the hat on. She had to keep pushing it up due to the cap being too big. By the time they settled down, Professor Carter was ready to start picking people out of the crowd. "Before I begin, do I have a volunteer?" everyone fell silent, and Vara debated on raising her hand before someone beat her to it.

"I'll go."

All heads turned to a violet-blooded troll with an unlit cigarette in his mouth sitting on the very end of the top row. The troll was obviously a sea dweller with the fins where his ears would be and the gills running down his neck. He looked like a greaser with his slicked back black hair, white t-shirt that had a purple Aquarius star sign, black leather jacket, and pants. Professor Carter smirked in satisfaction at having a volunteer, nodded at the royal blooded troll, "Alright Cronus, come on down."

The sea dweller, Cronus, obliged and swaggered down the isles. Vara caught his eye, and he gave her a flirtatious smirk as he passed. Vara leaned over her desk in anticipation as he situated himself in front of the microphone. She'd never heard a troll sing before, sure she heard them rap, but they're completely different. She raised a curious brow at the troll as he whispered in Carter's ear and he nodded his consent to something. Cronus turned back to the crowd of his peers and smiled sheepishly, "I'm gonna need a little help here. Do any of you knowv howv to play guitar and drums?"

"I do," Vara and Dirk said in perfect unison. They smirked at each other at due to the moment of perfect harmony on their part. That's what they liked about each other they can always harmonize when the situation called for it.

Cronus smirked at them and motioned for them to come down. When they got there he pulled them to the side. The class watched as they whispered to each other and exchanged knowing smiles before they broke up to go to their respective spots. Dirk sat behind them on the drum set that Professor Carter sat up. Vara picked up the beautiful Cyprus wood electric guitar, admiring it for a few seconds, as she began to tune it. She checked the amplifier before settling into her place beside Cronus.

The entire class fell silent as they waited for their display. They jumped when Vara struck a single chord that bounced off the walls in the room. Dirk began to set a familiar beat that was familiar to the people in the room. They soon understood what song they were doing when Vara began playing the intro to the song. Dirk and Vara fell into perfect harmony as Cronus tapped his heel to the rhythm of the song. A wide smile spread on his face as he got a feel of the song and began to sing into the mic.

" _They told him don't you evwer come around here_

 _Don't wvanna see your face, you better disappear_

 _The fire's in their eyes and their wvords are really clear_

 _So beat it, just beat it"_

Vara, Dirk, and a majority of the human students were surprised to find that Cronus's voice was dual toned. Dirk and Vara vaguely wondered if that was how a troll's voice worked when they sang.

" _You better run, you better do wvhat you can_

 _Don't wvanna see no blood, don't be no macho man_

 _You wvanna be tough, better do wvhat you can_

 _So beat it, but you wvanna be bad_

 _Just beat it, beat it_

 _No one wvants to be defeated_

 _Show em howv funky strong is your fight_

 _It doesn't matter wvho's wvrong or right_

 _Just beat it, beat it_

 _Just beat it, beat it_

 _Just beat it, beat it_

 _Just beat it, beat it"_

Vara was definitely impressed with the sea dweller. Though they signed up for this class there weren't that many people that would put that much soul into it. She pushed those thoughts away as she returned her attention to the music. She enjoyed the sound of the music they were able to produce.

" _They're out to get you, better leavwe while you can_

 _Don't wvanna be a boy, you wvanna be man_

 _You wvanna stay alive, better do what you can_

 _So beat it, just beat it_

 _You got to showv them that you're really not scared_

 _You're playin' wvith your life, this ain't no truth or dare_

 _They'll kick you, then they'll beat you,_

 _Then they'll tell you it's fair_

 _So beat it, but you wvanna be bad"_

Cronus began to clap along and their classmates followed suit. He had a lot of charisma and was able to make his audience follow his pace. Vara, Dirk, and Gamzee all hoped that they could move a crowd like that.

" _Just beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it_

 _No one wvants to be defeated_

 _Show em howv funky strong is your fight_

 _It doesn't matter wvho's vwrong or right_

 _Just beat it (beat it)_

 _Just beat it (beat it)_

 _Just beat it (beat it)_

 _Just beat it (beat it)_

 _Beat it_ _[x5]_

 _Beat it_ _[x5]_

 _Beat it_ _[x6]_

 _Beat it_ _[x6]"_

Cronus grinned at Vara, hoping she could measure up as the guitar solo came up. Professor Carter was shocked into silence as the three of them merely shared glances and they were on the same page. The sea dweller pulled Vara's borrowed cap back so the bill was lined up with her neck. Gamzee watched as if he were in a trance as he once again witnessed Vara's fingers flying over the strings of the guitar with her eyes closed in blissful concentration. She and Cronus danced around each other with the violet blood hooting and hollering in encouragement before he finally took over by performing a power slide as he sang his heart out with Dirk and Vara singing back up.

" _Beat it (Beat it)_

 _Beat it_

 _No one wvants to be defeated_

 _Show em howv funky strong is your fight_

 _It doesn't matter vwho's wvrong or right_

 _Just beat it (beat it), beat it_

 _No one wvants to be defeated_

 _Showv em howv funky strong is your fight_

 _It doesn't matter wvho's wvrong or right_

 _Just beat it_

 _No one wvants to be defeated_

 _Show em howv funky strong is your fight_

 _It doesn't matter wvho's wvrong or right_

 _Just beat it_ _[x8]_

 _Beat it_ _[x8]_ _"_

As the music faded, the entire class was engulfed by silence for a few moments as Cronus panted from coming down from his musical high. A wide grin spread on the sea dweller's face as he turned to his temporary band members. "You cats ain't bad. Especially you, doll," Cronus wriggled his eyebrows at Vara, earning an amused giggle from her. Gamzee and Dirk bristled at this. Dirk's natural protectiveness over the redhead made him wary of Cronus's advances. He wouldn't step in unless he gave off the bad kind of signals. Gamzee, however, was similar, only he knew Cronus through Kurloz, and knew that he was flirt. He also knew how desperate and how much of an asshole he could be and didn't want him to mess with his new friend.

He watched as Vara laughed when Cronus pulled her into a playful headlock and took the cap off to ruffle her hair. Vara held out her fist to the older troll, and he smirked at her as his fist met hers. "You're not so bad yourself, for an amateur," she giggled, finding that he reacted similarly to how Dirk would when they had an especially good jam session.

Cronus gasped in feigned offense, "Amateur! I was noddin' off wvith howv bad you wvere playin'." Their teasing was all in good fun, and Dirk slowly relaxed around the sea dweller.

Their funfest was cut short when Professor Carter cleared his throat, "That was indeed a magnificent performance. Cronus, I must say that I'm new to how troll voices work, but I can't find much fault with your voice. Ms. Afolter, you can go next if you don't mind."

Said redhead nodded to the teacher and grabbed Cronus before he could go back to his seat and Dirk stretched his legs a little before settling back down on the drum kit. Cronus raised a curious brow at the shorter girl as she pulled him down to her height so she could whisper something in his ear/fins? A grin gradually grew on the sea dweller's face, "I knew you were one cool cat, doll, but this just proves it." She handed the guitar off to Cronus and adjusted the microphone to point down at her.

Vara giggled at him before she and Cronus began to stomp a beat. Cronus kept stomping in rhythm as Vara began to show off by hand-boning like how her friend John taught her. Those who knew the song joined in, adding to its effect as she went right into the song.

"Are you worth your weight in gold?

Cause you're behind my eyelids when I'm all alone

Hey, stranger, I want you to catch me like a cold.

You and god both got the guns, when you shoot I think I'd duck.

I led the revolution in my bedroom and I set all the zippers free.

We said, 'No more war, no more clothes!

Give me peace.

Oh kiss me!'"

Vara never told him and Dirk what song she was going to sing, so needless to say it surprised Gamzee when recognized the words after a moment of thought. She didn't strike him as the type to actually like this type of music, and her clothes weren't exactly fitting for the situation. She was adorned in a forest green turtle-neck short sleeved sweater with white jean shorts and a pair of black ankle boots. It gave him more of an R&B vibe than alternative rock. He listened intently as she went into the chorus with Dirk and Cronus as back up.

"Hey! Hey! We are a hurricane!

Drop our anchors in a storm.

Hey! They will never be the same,

A fire in a flask to keep us warm.

Cause they know, I know

That they don't look like me.

Oh, they know, I know

That they don't sound like me.

Vara started hand-boning again.

"You'll dance to anything!

You'll dance to anything!"

She clasped her hands together as if she were begging someone for mercy with a mock distressed look on her face as she sang the next verses.

"Oh I'd confess, I'd confess in a room where I'm blessed.

But he didn't come and speak to me,

Or put my heart at ease.

And I believe that half the time

I am a wolf among the sheep

Gnawing at the wool over my eyes."

At this part, Vara pulled the bill of Dirk's cap over her eyes with a slight smirk. In the very top row next to Cronus's seat, sat an identical sea dwelling troll who watched with fascination at the human girl's voice. He'd heard humans sing before, and though he was disgusted with most of them, there were a few exceptions in his eyes. He was impressed by the girl's voice. Trolls were naturals at singing, and Cronus was one of the best he'd ever heard, and yet this human girl with no dual tones to enhance her voice, was easily capturing her peers' attention after Cronus's exhilarating performance.

"I led the revolution in my bedroom and I set all the zippers free.

We said, 'No more war, no more clothes!

Give me peace.

Oh kiss me!'

Hey! Hey! We are a hurricane!

Drop our anchors in a storm.

Hey! They will never be the same,

A fire in a flask to keep us warm.

Cause they know, I know

That they don't look like me.

Oh, they know, I know

That they don't sound like me.

This time everyone tried to clap to the rhythm, not even trying to do what Vara did, but still feeling good about getting the beat right. The entire class, even Professor Carter shouted along with the trio as they harmonized on the next verses. Dirk deepened his voice while Cronus sang at a slightly higher note than Vara to accommodate the pitch that she had set.

"You'll dance to anything!

You'll dance to anything!

You'll dance to anything!

You'll dance to anything!"

Vara put her hands to the sides of her head and bowed over the mic as though she was getting a massive migraine.

"Fix me, or conflict me.

I'll take anything.

Fix me, or just conflict me.

Cause I'll take anything.:

The redhead pumped a fist in the air and the entire class copied the gesture.

Hey! Hey! We are a hurricane!

Drop our anchors in a storm.

Hey! They will never be the same,

A fire in a flask to keep us warm.

Cause they know, I know

That they don't look like me.

Oh, they know, I know

That they don't sound like me.

You'll dance to anything!

You'll dance to anything!"

Dirk and Cronus suddenly stopped playing altogether as Vara clapped twice into the mic. Her fellow peers cheered in joy at the performance, as their expectations got higher for the next performers. They were told to go back to their seats to take a brake as the next person went up. They agreed to hang out later at lunch before returning to their seats. Gamzee threw an arm around Vara's neck rubbed his cheek against her, "I knew you were a motherfuckin' miracle!"

"Gamzee," Vara whined, opening one eye to look at the troll, "you're getting your face paint in my hair." True enough, when the indigo pulled away, he found streaks of white in her hair and running down the cheek he was rubbing against.

He gave her an apologetic smile as he wiped the paint away, "My motherfuckin' bad lil mama. I keep motherfuckin' forgetting that I wear the stuff."

Vara waved him off, "Don't worry about it. It's not the first time I got paint on my face, and it won't be the last."

Gamzee smiled at her gratefully for being so understanding before a thoughtful look came over him. "Say sis, do you motherfuckin' know how to beat box?" he asked, gaining Vara and Dirk's immediate attention.

The redhead nodded, "Dirk taught me how, but I'm not as good as him just yet. Why do you ask?" Her only answer was a face splitting grin from the indigo troll that made her question what exactly she was getting into.

 **What's Gamzee planning? Find out in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: SURPISE MOTHERFUCKA!

**Hey everybody! It's the Bezerker here, with the newest update of Stereo Hearts. I'm sorry that I haven't been updating that often, but that's because I've been focusing on my Young Justice fic. However, I promise you that I'm not giving up on this story. I've got too many ideas for it to simply drop it.**

 **DISCLAIMER: HOMESTUCK DOES NOT BELONG TO ME NOR DO ITS CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN VARA.**

* * *

"Gamzee, are you sure you don't want Dirk to do this?' Vara asked uncertainly. Looking up at her troll friend, she was able to see that he was completely relaxed. Now by no means did Vara have stage fright, but she wasn't very confident in beat boxing skills. Dirk may have taught her how to beat box, but he'd always been better at it than she.

Said troll shrugged and gave the girl a dopey grin, "Nah, don't even up and worry about it. You'll do motherfuckin' fine." Gamzee walked out in front of the class with Vara trailing behind him. Once they reached the "stage," Gamzee grabbed a microphone and handed it to the redhead before he nodded at her. Vara nodded back and began to make the beat, and Gamzee bobbed his head along with her, getting a feel for the human music he was about to perform with. It grabbed the interest of the trolls in the room who didn't know the song and the attention of the humans that did. The pair smirked at each other before Gamzee began to rap.

 **Gamzee**

 _Vara_

 **Yeah I'm out that Brooklyn, now I'm down in Tribeca**

 **Right next to DeNiro, but I'll be hood forever**

 **I'm the new Sinatra, and since I made it here**

 **I can make it anywhere, yeah, they love me everywhere**

 **I used to cop in Harlem, all of my Dominicanos**

 **Right there up on Broadway, pull me back to that McDonald's**

 **Took it to my stash spot, 560 State St.**

 **Catch me in the kitchen like the Simmons' whipping Pastry**

 **Cruisin' down 8th St., off-white Lexus**

 **Drivin' so slow, but BK is from Texas**

 **Me, I'm out that Bed-Stuy, home of that boy Biggie**

 **Now I live on Billboard and I brought my boys with me**

 **Say what up to TyTy, still sippin' Mai Tai's**

 **Sittin' courtside, Knicks & Nets give me high five**

 **Nigga, I be spiked out, I could trip a referee**

 **Tell by my attitude that I'm most definitely from...**

Vara began to sing as Gamzee took to the beat.

 _New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of_

 _There's nothin' you can't do_

 _Now you're in New York_

 _These streets will make you feel brand new_

 _The lights will inspire you_

 _Let's hear it for New York, New York,_

 _New York_

They quickly switched back as the indigo troll began the next verse. Gamzee took advantage of his dual toned voice and made it sound like two different people were rapping the same lyrics.

 **Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game**

 **Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous then a Yankee can**

 **You should know I bleed blue, but I ain't a Crip though**

 **But I got a gang of niggas walkin' with my clique though**

 **Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we sellin' rock**

 **Afrika Bambataa shit, home of the hip-hop**

 **Yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back**

 **For foreigners it ain't fair, they act like they forgot how to add**

 **8 million stories, out there in the naked**

 **City it's a pity, half of y'all won't make it**

 **Me, I got a plug Special Ed "I Got It Made"**

 **If Jeezy's payin' LeBron, I'm payin' Dwyane Wade**

 **Three dice Cee-lo, three Card Molly**

 **Labor Day Parade, rest in peace Bob Marley**

 **Statue of Liberty, long live the World Trade**

 **Long live the King yo, I'm from the Empire State that's**

 _New York, concrete jungle_ _where_ _dreams are made of_

 _There's nothin' you can't do_

 _Now you're in New York_

 _These streets will make you feel brand new_

 _The lights will inspire you_

 _Let's hear it for New York, New York,_

 _New York_

 **Lights is blinding, girls need blinders**

 **Or they could step out of bounds quick, the sidelines is**

 **Lined with casualties, who sip to life casually**

 **Then gradually become worse, don't bite the apple, Eve**

 **Caught up in the in-crowd, now you're in style**

 **Anna Wintour gets cold, in Vogue with your skin out**

 **City of sin, it's a pity on a whim**

 **Good girls gone bad, the city's filled with them**

 **Mommy took a bus trip, now she got her bust out**

 **Everybody ride her, just like a bus route**

 **Hail Mary to the city, you're a virgin**

 **And Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church end**

 **Came here for school, graduated to the high life**

 **Ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight**

 **MDMA got you feelin' like a champion**

 **The city never sleeps, better slip you an Ambien**

 _In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of_

 _There's nothin' you can't do_

 _Now you're in New York_

 _These streets will make you feel brand new_

 _The lights will inspire you_

 _Let's hear it for New York, New York,_

 _New York_

 _One hand in the air for the big city_

 _Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty_

 _No place in the world that could compare_

 _Put your lighters in the air_

 _Everybody say "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" (_ **c'mon, c'mon** _)_

 _I'm from..._

 _New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of_

 _There's nothin' you can't do_

 _Now you're in New York_

 _These streets will make you feel brand new_

 _The lights will inspire you_

 _Let's hear it for New York, New York,_

 _New York_

They received a standing ovation from their classmates and teacher. Professor commended them for their rendition of "Empire State of Mind." "That was a wonderful performance Mr. Makara and Ms. Afolter. I am impressed with how easily you were able to switch rolls," he praised.

Gamzee grinned at the man and nodded in acceptance before he and Vara went back to their seats. "Motherfuckin' miracles," he muttered under his breath, but Vara heard him and nudged him in the side with her elbow.

"You bet your ass it was! I honestly didn't think that'd work. I guess now I know better than to doubt you, huh Gamzee?" Vara said as she sat back in her seat next to Dirk, caught up in the excitement that often came after performing.

Gamzee pretended to pop his nonexistent collar, and smirked at Vara as he high fived Dirk. "Its about time someone recognized me for my motherfuckin' greatness." Vara giggled at his antics before returning her attention to Professor Carter.

"Alrght, now that the last performance has ended, I can accurately gauge what we need to work on when you come back tomorrow," he announced as stood from his desk. "You are all dismissed." With that the entire class left to go about their business.

"I'll see you motherfuckers later," Gamzee said, waving to his new friends as he walked in the opposite direction to his next class.

"Bye Gamzee!" Vara called back as she and Dirk headed for the student union. They split up to find their respective meals. Vara found herself heading towards a small Italian restaurant that seemed to specialize in custom pizzas and pastas. She politely placed her order to the student fixing her order and patiently waited for it to finish cooking. She noticed that not many people would come to the little restaurant despite the delicious smell coming from it. On the bright side, she didn't have to wait in a long line to receive her food and there was less of a chance of her order getting confused with someone else's.

She was brought out of her musings when the girl working the register called her name. She paid for her food and left to find out where her friends were sitting. "Hey Vara!" She turned her head in the direction in which the call originated from. There at a table big enough to fit around fourteen people sat John Egbert, Dave Strider, Rose Lalonde, Roxy Lalonde, Jade Harley, and Jane Crocker. She smiled and sat next to John, who had been calling her as he waved enthusiastically at her. "So, how'd your day go?" he asked as she began to blow on her hot food.

"It's been good. You know Gamzee? The troll I work with at the radio station?" she asked as she glanced at her nerdy friend to see his reaction. When he nodded, she continued, "Well turns out he's in my music class and he's pretty good at rapping."

Rose and Dave, who'd been in a deep conversation prior to this, paid rapt attention to this. Everyone in their group has seen trolls and know what they generally look like, but they have never taken the time to talk to one, so it would be obvious why they were so interested. "What are you guys talking about?" Dirk asked as he sat next to Jake, who was sitting across from Vara with his box of sushi.

Vara shrugged and casually answered, "I was just telling them about Gamzee-"

"Sup sis."

"GAH! WHAT THE FUCK!" Vara shouted as she nearly jumped out of her seat, barely keeping her pasta from spilling on her sweater. She turned her head so fast, her friends were afraid that she'd get whiplash. Right next to her sat Gamzee Makara with a box of pizza and a bottle of Grape Faygo.

"Are you all motherfuckin' right, sis?" Gamzee asked in concern as he put a hand on her shoulder. Vara was gasping, trying to recover from her fright. "You look like your motherfuckin' hemo-pumper's gonna up and give out."

"Gamzee, I thought you have a class right now," Vara gasped as she was finally able to speak.

Gamzee gave her a mischievous grin, "I motherfuckin' do, but the teacher was motherfuckin' missing, so I up and left to go find him. He isn't motherfuckin here."

Vara managed a small smile as she sighed at her friend. "Well, since you're here, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. Gamzee, meet Jane, Jade, John, Jake, Dave, Dirk, Rose, and Roxy." They waved, nodded, smiled, and greeted him respectively. Gamzee grinned back at them and introduced himself.

"Sup motherfuckers, my name is Gamze motherfuckin' Makara," he said before taking a bite out of his pizza.

"Do you have any troll friends Gamzee?" Rose asked.

"Yep," Gamzee said around the food in his mouth, "I got a motherfuckin' double rainbow of friends."

* * *

Elsewhere, not far from the group of friends, a mustard blooded troll was learning how to skateboard. He managed to stay on the skateboard while it was moving, the only problem was he didn't know how to stop. Currently he was skating through the union screaming for everyone to get out of the way. "Out of the fucking way I can't sthop!" Humans and trolls alike jumped out of his way and the mustard blood sighed in relief. However, he failed to see the large crack in the ground before it was too late. The troll went flying over Dirk, Jake, and John into Vara and Gamzee's laps.

They blinked down at the troll as he gave them a dopey smile. "Hi Gamthee," he chirped happily, as if he didn't narrowly miss breaking his neck.

"Sup, Mituna, nice motherfuckin' landing," Gamzee complimented as he scooted over to allow the mustard blood to sit between him and the red head.

The mustard blooded troll, Mituna, grinned proudly at Gamzee, "Thankths Gamthee. I managed to sthay on the board but I didn't know how to sthop." That didn't seem to faze him, but instead it seemed to encourage the troll as he giggled to himself. Mituna turned his head to Vara and frowned at her, his mood did a complete one-eighty as he growled at her, "Who the fuck are you, bith?"

Vara merely raised a brow at him, not appreciating his tone. Vara's friends cringed at his choice of words upon meeting the red head. "Excuse you bitchface?" she asked in a warning tone, not once raising her voice.

Mituna seemed to rethink his tone as his features softened, "I'm sorry."

Vara blinked at the sudden mood swing but brushed it aside to smile at the troll. "To answer your very rude question," she teased, "my name is Vara Afolter. Nice to meet you…"

Mituna took that as his cue to introduce himself, and he did so with a proud grin on his face. "My name ith Mituna Captor bow to the king of skateboarding bithes!" His spontaneous personality was an instant hit with Vara as she began talking to him. She didn't even notice that a certain blue blooded troll was standing behind her until he tapped her on the shoulder.

She jumped and turned to see Horuss, "What is it with everyone scaring me today, first it was Gamzee, then Mituna, and now you. Why can't I seem to get a break?" Horuss chuckled when Vara sighed in exasperation.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you, but I was wondering if you wanted to talk about our project since we have the same lunch period," he asked with a dark blue blush on his face. Vara thought it over, thinking that it would at least get some things done before she went over to his house later, before agreeing with a slight nod. She apologized to her friends who waved her off, accepting that she had something planned and needed to get it done. However, Gamzee was sad to see the redhead go.

"So, tell me how you feel about steam power," Horuss asked as he set his plate down at a table that held another troll with bull vine horns and red and black spiked hair. He wore a black vest with what seemed to be real bones running up the front and down the back over a tattered red shirt and black cargo pants that had red fabric hanging from them. What seemed to catch everyone's attention were the rust red butterfly wings that were connected to his back. He waved when he saw them and Horuss returned it.

"I think it could work, but we'd have to take time to boil the water before we actually test it, not to mention the heat could burn our feet if we don't properly restrict it to the engines, and even then we run the risk of it overheating," Vara said thoughtfully as she sat her tray down.

Horuss gave her a proud smile we he heard her say "we," and "us", happy that he wouldn't be doing the work on his own. "You need not worry about that. I eliminated those problems when I invented my steam powered de-strengtheners," he replied, and Vara returned his smile, their mutual respect growing for one another. However, their moment was interrupted when the other troll at the table cleared his throat awkwardly. Horuss gave him an embarrassed smile, "I'm sorry, excuse my rudeness. Vara, I'd like you to meet my matesprit, Rufioh."

"Nice to meet ya, Doll," Rufioh said with a kind smile. Vara returned it and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Rufioh," she said before an idea occurred to her. "Say Horuss, what would happen if we made the wheels adaptable. That way they wouldn't be restricted to any one terrain…" she trailed off, waiting for Horuss to catch on.

The blue blood's eyes widened at what the redhead was implying and grinned excitedly, "And will appeal to more people of various ages worldwide! Vara, you're a genius!"

Vara returned the excited grin, "It takes one to know one, my good troll."

Rufioh chuckled at the pair, "With the way you're acting, I would have thought you were moirails."

Horuss blushed and stuttered incoherently, while Vara shrugged, "What can I say, it's a creative thing."

"That's pretty amazing. I've never seen anyone but Meulin get Horuss excited like that, especially about a school project," Rufioh said with a content smile. When lunch ended, Vara left the pair with an excited smile. That smile left her face when she realized how slow her day would go when she was looking forward to something. Not even her friends could make her any less bored, but Gamzee helped by randomly popping up and doing something silly to make Vara laugh.

When classes finally ended for the day, Vara found herself tossed over Gamzee's shoulder as he nearly ran to the radio station. "Gamzee! What are you doing?!" she shrieked in surprise. She found that his gait was surprisingly smooth, but it didn't change the fact that he practically kidnapped her.

"I'm up and giving you a ride to the motherfuckin' station, lil mama," Gamzee answered nonchalantly, not slowing his pace in the least.

Vara furrowed her brows in confusion, "Why didn't you just use your car?" Gamzee just laughed as if she had told the best joke in the world. The redhead soon realized that nothing would deter the highblood, and sighed in resignation as she gave up on getting him to release her. She rested an elbow against his back and simply waited for the moment when they would arrive to the station. When they arrived, Signless was waiting for them at the door. When he saw them, he couldn't help but laugh at the young highblood's behavior. It wasn't exactly unwarranted considering that Vara was the first friend that he ever made that didn't treat him like a ticking time bomb, or like he was mentally challenged. "You know where to go, Gamzee," the candy blooded troll said. Gamzee waved to let Signless know that he heard.

Vara waved at Nashir in passing and ignored the fact that he was nearly dying of laughter as he watched his descendant carry the little human into the studio. Vara sighed in relief when Gamzee finally set her down in her chair. "Did you have to carry me in the elevator?" she asked in exasperation.

"No, but it was motherfuckin' fun," Gamzee answered with a sly grin. The redhead could only shake her head in amusement at her friend.

"Come on, let's get this show on the road," Gamzee nodded and flipped the switch that put them on the air. Vara leaned into the microphone to greet their audience, "Good afternoon New Orleans! This is Vara Afolter coming to you live from the Zodiac Station with Gamzee Makara. For the next couple of hours we'll be taking any question or song request you have. All you have to do is call or text XXX-XXX-XXXX and we'll try to answer as best as we can. Gamzee, spin that shit."

"You got it sis," Gamzee said as he began to play _Pop_ by B.o.B. Vara turned the mic off and waited for the first caller. It didn't take long for the first call to come in and Gamzee was the one who answered. "Sup Motherfucker, what can we motherfuckin' help you with?"

 _"_ _Hello?"_ a voice asked hesitantly.

"Hello caller, what can we help you with?" Vara asked as she leaned onto their desk.

 _"_ _Hello, I'm calling to ask for advice. You see, my girlfriend and I have been really distant as of late. We barely talk to each other, and it doesn't even feel like we have that spark we started out with. Do you have any advice for me?"_

Gamzee gave Vara an inquiring look since the human terms didn't register with him. Vara gave him a small smile, knowing that she'd have to take this. "Well, when was the last time you two went on a date or the last time you did something romantic together?" the redhead was trying to see where the problem lied.

 _"_ _I'd say about three months,"_ the caller answered thoughtfully.

Vara couldn't help but smile at where this was going, "How long were you together?"

 _"_ _It's been six months now,"_ the caller answered wistfully.

"I think I might up and motherfuckin' know your problem," Gamzee offered.

Vara looked at Gamzee curiously, "Well don't hold out on us. Tell us what's on you're mind."

Gamzee smiled softly at the human girl, "Well, if girlfriends are anything like matesprits, then I think that you should do something motherfuckin' romantic for her. You're probably so motherfuckin' distant because ya'll haven't did something romantic in motherfuckin' months. Go out and do whatever you humans do to be romantic to your matesprits. For any motherfuckin' ideas, please refer to sis, right here."

 _"_ _What advice can you give me, I'm open to suggestions,"_ the caller asked desperately, sounding like he was about to cry.

"If you take Gamzee's advice, which seems like the best option to me, then you should do something for her. Give her some of her favorite flowers and chocolates, and maybe take her to her favorite restaurant, but I suggest you add some variety to it too. However, don't be afraid to be adventurous and take her somewhere she hasn't been before. If none of that works, then sit down and talk about it so you can get to the heart of the problem. If you both agree that you don't feel anything in the relationship anymore, then its best that you break up - mind you that's only my opinion." Vara's sagely advice made the caller go quiet in contemplation. Unbeknownst to either of them, people all over the city were listening intently to their advice.

Signless was in the next room with Nashir, checking their channel's social media profile and found that they were being bombarded by good and bad comments. The good comments complimented Gamzee and Vara's advice and how well they worked together compared to the others who worked with the highblooded troll. The less positive comments were either from anti-troll humans, anti-human trolls, or Internet trolls who just wanted to insult them. Needless to say, Nashir was pleased that they were getting a growing fan base. He listened intently as the human and troll in the adjacent room continued to help humans and trolls alike. Nashir felt as if his descendent finally found someone who could accept him completely.

Signless, however, saw this as a starting point in the long road of peace between the trolls and humans. Up till this point, no one, not even his descendent, Gamzee's moirail, could stand him for extended periods of time or considered him smart enough to give legitimate advice. However, Vara could, and she actually thought about what the young troll had to say instead of dismissing it. The combination of Vara's acceptance and Gamzee's easy going attitude made it easier for their listeners to call in. Speaking of which, Gamzee and Vara were on their final call for the day.

"Alright caller, what's your problem?' Vara asked as she leaned into the control panel.

 _"_ _Hello?"_ the caller greeted hesitantly.

"Sup motherfucker?" Gamzee greeted casually. "How can we motherfuckin help you?"

 _"_ _You see, I trusted my friend with a big secret, but I heard her telling the school gossips and laughing about it. What do you think I should do?"_ he asked, sounding as if he was filled to the brim with rage.

"Hold on man, calm down," Vara said cautiously. "How big of a secret are we talking here? Is it embarrassing dare big or there's a video big?"

 _"_ _It was Michael Sam big,"_ he answered with a tired sigh.

Vara and Gamzee cringed at what this meant for the man. "Shit man. Anybody given you any shit?" he asked hesitantly.

The caller sighed in reply, _"Yeah. Do trolls have this problem?"_

Gamzee shook his head even though the caller couldn't see it, "Nah man. Trolls don't motherfuckin care about gender so long as that person up and fills the quadrant their aiming to fill. You see, male and female trolls have the same equipment so it doesn't really make a difference to us. If anything a troll gets shit for their blood color. Just like there are fuckin stereotypes for different human races, the same thing motherfuckin applies to blood color. We got stereotypes on different blood colors."

"Yeah, I remember GHB saying that indigos are stereotyped to be violent and lacking in the intelligence department, but Gamzee is living proof that that's not true," Vara pointed out, unaware of the blush burning through Gamzee's face.

 _"_ _Wait, if trolls have the same equipment, then does that mean Gamzee can get pregnant?"_ the caller asked curiously.

Vara looked at Gamzee waiting for an answer. Gamzee laughed as he answered, "Nah motherfucker, you see there's these buckets right…" Gamzee went into heavy detail about how trolls reproduce. Needless to say it was a lot to take in and think about. When the explanation was over, the caller thanked them and hung up. Vara snapped out of her thoughtful trance when Gamzee gently nudged her and gave her a concerned look. She gave him a small, reassuring smile and shook her head before returning her attention to the microphone in front of her.

"Alright everybody, that's the end of our time today. We'll leave ya'll and get back to you tomorrow," Vara said in an animated fashion before Gamzee took them off the air. Said troll was still giving Vara that worried look. "What's wrong Gamzee?" Vara asked in concern.

"It's motherfuckin nothing sis," Gamzee lied, avoiding her gaze.

"We both know that's not true. Now tell me what's wrong. Ever since you started talking about troll anatomy, you haven't stopped looking at me like I'd suddenly disappear," the red head prodded.

Gamzee fidgeted nervously, "It's just that…I up and motherfucking thought that it would freak you the motherfuck out and wouldn't want to be friends anymore." Gamzee avoided her gaze fearing that his worries were true.

Vara giggled at absurdity of the notion, "I don't know why you would think that way. There are humans with bodies similar to yours. I honestly think its not that big of a deal. That's just how your body works; it doesn't change the fact that you're my friend." Gamzee gave Vara a small, hesitant grin, relieved that he didn't lose her.

"How about we go get some motherfucking Smashburger?" Gamzee offered as he helped Vara gather her things.

The redhead winced at this, not wanting to reject the indigo, but also needing to keep her word, "I'm sorry, Gamzee, but I told Horuss that I'd be at his house after work today. We're supposed to work on our invention together." When she saw the troll's crestfallen look, she hurried to add, "Maybe we can go tomorrow?"

Gamzee's eyes widened as a grin nearly split his face. He nodded vigorously as he held the door open for Vara where GHB and Signless were waiting for them in the hallway. "You've done well. We've gotten over twelve thousand positive reviews about you two and its only day two," Signless reported with a gentle smile.

Vara grinned excitedly, "That's amazing! I never would have thought we'd get this popular."

"If you keep this up then we just might motherfuckin' get just as famous as Q93," Nashir said with an excited glint in his eyes.

Gamzee threw an arm around the redhead's shoulder, "Ain't a problem man. With lil mama here, its gonna be motherfucking breeze."

A vicious blush bloomed on the ginger's face. Vara was never great at receiving compliments. Whenever one of her friends would compliment her, she would turn into a blushing, stuttering mess. Thinking that the reaction was cute, her friends decided to do it often just for that reaction. "G-Gamzee! Th-that's not true! Y-you're just a-as important i-in this thing as I a-am," she stuttered nervously.

Nashir, Signless, and Gamzee paused to stare at the human woman. _Sweet Messiahs that's motherfuckin' adorable!_ Gamzee felt his cheeks warm slightly at Vara's reaction. Nashir and Gamzee wrapped their arms around the smaller woman and started rubbing their cheeks against her cheek and head. "So fuckin' cute~!" they cooed. Signless watched in slight fascination as Vara's face flushed even more. It kind of reminded him of his two descendants. Nashir noticed the strange looks he was getting from the humans and trolls that passed and glared at him, his eyes changing from a dark yellow to an almost reddish orange. Knowing the meaning behind that, the trolls made themselves scarce, and the humans followed soon after. Figuring that this wouldn't do well for his intimidating reputation, Nashir released Vara and cleared his throat uncomfortably. Gamzee however, couldn't give half a shit what others thought of him and continued to hold onto the redhead.

"Um Gamzee," she muttered, "I need to get to Horuss's house remember?" Gamzee blinked and stared down at the young woman blankly before he finally remembered what she was talking about. "Right. Let me up and motherfuckin' walk you there," he offered.

Vara waved him off, "That's alright Gamzee you don't have to do that." However, the young high blood was having none of it as he picked Vara up by her armpits and tossed her over his shoulder. "Not again!" she squealed as she lightly punched at his back, looking to Nashir and Signless for help, but the two were conveniently looking in a different direction.

"I'll see you motherfuckers at the hive," Gamzee called out as he started walking away from the two ancestors. After a while, Vara gave up on convincing Gamzee to let her go as she crossed her arms and pouted. She glanced around and found that all of the people that passed them would look at her with varying degrees of pity, worry, and confusion. She also noticed that they were now in a rich neighborhood.

"Gamzee?" she called.

"Yeah sis?" Gamzee glanced back at her.

"Does Horuss really live in one of these mansions?"

"If mansion means "big motherfuckin' hive," then yeah," he answered with a nonchalant shrug as he walked through the gates of one of the largest mansions in the neighborhood and Vara suddenly felt as if she were terribly underdress. She twisted so that she could see around and Gamzee and paled. She felt like a mouse compared to the gigantic house and thought that she should have worn some kind of evening gown instead of a green sweater, a pair of ripped jeans, and an old pair of converse. Soon they were standing or in Vara's case, being held in front of a pair large doors, and Gamzee carefully balanced Vara on his shoulder so he could knock a catchy beat on the door before setting the redhead down behind him. "Hello – Oh! H-highblood, what brings you to my humble hive?"

"Hey Equius, I'm just up and dropping sis off. Her and Horuss are tryin' to build some shit," Gamzee explained.

The blueblood, Equius, nodded in approval, sweating profusely at the sight of the indigo on his doorstep before turning his gaze on the red headed human. He scrunched his nose up at the color of her hair, but he kept a relatively neutral expression. Vara performed her best curtsy, remembering Horuss's advice about his family. "It's a pleasure to meet you Equius. May I come in?"

Equius nodded, liking how well-mannered Vara was, as he opened the door wider for the pair to step into his large home. The redhead marveled at the classy décor of the large house. "Horuss is in his workshop down this hall. It should have gears spinning on it to signal that he is working," Vara noticed that Equius wasn't wearing shoes and nervously spoke up.

"Would you like for me to take off my shoes?"

The blueblood looked down at her boot clad feet thoughtfully, "You may keep your shoes on since you are going into the workshop, but I ask that you remove them here and put them back on when you get to the workshop."

Vara nodded her understanding and slipped the shoes off of her feet. She quickly hugged Gamzee, shocking Equius, before she rushed over to the door that the blueblood indicated to her. "Thanks you Equius and I'll see you tomorrow Gamzee!" she called out, waving back at her friend.

Equius's sunglasses slid down his nose in shock as he stared after the bold human girl. He turned his gaze on Gamzee to find that the highblood was blushing a violent indigo.

 **Hey everybody! I know it's been a long time since I've updated, but I'll try to fix that. My beta-reader and I have been tossing around ideas for this story and we can't wait to act out some of them! I can only hope you love them as much as we do!**

 **Wrecking shit since 1999! Bezerker out!**


	4. Chapter 4: Tickle Fight!

**Guess who's back.**

 **Back again.**

 **Bezzy's back.**

 **Tell a friend.**

 **Sup motherfuckas! I'm back again with another chapter of Stereo Hearts and I want to start off by apologizing for taking so long to do this chapter. I've been having this weird lack of motivation to do anything as of late but I pulled my shit together and got over it. I will not put Gamzee on hold like that!**

 **I'll answer the reviews and start the story.**

 **That One Poipose(Guest): Yes! Got it on the first try! Do you know how much research I had to do to get that right? I wanted Vara to be the person to break the tension between trolls and humans at her college. They were allowed in, but the tension is still there. I'm glad you love this story, but aside from the mannerisms that I've researched, I'm basically winging it. I like to believe that indigos of the Makara line tend to be very affectionate to the people they care about, plus cheek rubbing seems like something Gamzee would do at least to me.**

 **Koniax Hyasen: I actually got GHB's name from another fanfic I read, I think it was called Relearning to Breath or something along those lines, and it's not a human name, but the name his lusus gave him. I have this headcannon that trolls are given titles when they do something worthy of it. GHB probably did something so outstanding that they thought him to be the grandest of high bloods. Also a dual tone is what I use to describe what you get when one person modulates their voice to sound like two people. I read this headcannon that troll vocal chords are set up in a way that allows them to use dual tones. I also find Cronus to be very flirtatious but not desperate. My friend said that he kind of adapts his personality based on how someone reacts to his advances. Mituna is my troll baby! Gamzee went into detail about buckets because that's what his job is, to advise and inform humans and trolls as to how things work for trolls and to give things a new perspective. Equius and Darkleer are gonna love how polite and cute Vara can be, not to mention the fact that Horuss nearly died of joy when he found out her uncle owns a ranch.**

 **Shewolf-skittles-twist14: I don't know what curse words you used, but I want to know what they are now. Also, thank you! I'm glad you love my story.**

 **StargladesTime: I will never leave a story hanging!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOMESTUCK OR ITS CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN VARA AND HER FAMILY.**

* * *

 **VARA POV**

I knocked on Horuss's door. "Come in!" he called. I opened the door and sat on the floor to pull my boots back on and moved over to where he was standing over the blueprint that we drew up earlier.

The blue blood looked up to give her a welcoming smile as he beckoned her over, "I have the materials needed to make our invention, but we also need to make a cooling system small enough to fit into it. We also need to establish who will be testing them out so we can make them using the right measurements."

I was only partly listening to Horuss because my gaze was locked in an intense staring contest with a big blue horse dildo. I have never seen one before nor have I ever wanted to. I think I need to set up another appointment with Rose. Horuss must have noticed my lack of attention and followed my gaze to the _thing_. He blushed a royal blue and ran over to toss it into a box behind his recuperacoon. "Woops!" he squeaked as he awkwardly returned to the worktable.

"I knew you liked horses, but I didn't think you liked them _that_ much," I joked, trying to lighten the tension that grew between us.

It somehow managed to work because Horuss started chuckling lightly, "Actually, it was just a model I made when I was studying their anatomy." I gave him a teasing smirk and waggled my eyebrows.

"Don't worry about it, my friends make it pointless to kink-shame," I shrugged, as I returned to the matter of our invention. A couple hours in, we fell into a system of making various parts. I began to make the body while Horuss was setting up the steam powered engine. I had suggested that the cooling system should be between the material surrounding the foot, and the actual engine. The engine would run along the bottom of the foot and have pressure sensors on the ball and heel. It would make moving quite simple, lean forward – move forward – lean back – move back.

I was just installing the sensors onto the body when my phone rang. The caller ID said that it was my mom. I gave Horuss an apologetic look and mouthed "I'm sorry."

"Hello?"

"Vara Quinzel Afolter!" Oh shit cakes, this can't be good.

"Hey Mom, how's it going?" I asked nervously. What did I do?!

"Don't you play dumb young lady! When were you going to tell me that your new job had you working with one of those damn freaks?!" she raged. I flinched at the volume of her voice. I'm pretty sure Horuss could hear her by the way he flinched. "Where are you right now?!"

"Mom, I'm kind of working on a project at a friend's house right now, can this wait until I get home?" I asked trying to reign in my embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks getting warmer the more this conversation continued.

"Is this friend one of those horned demons?" I took offense to this on Horuss's behalf.

"First of all, they're not demons or freaks. Second, yes, Horuss is a troll. Thirdly, I really need to take care of this project, its due at the end of the semester," I answered through thinly veiled annoyance.

"Not if you're working with a demon, you aren't. Bring your ass home right now!"

I sighed tiredly, "Alright." I turned to Horuss who seemed to be suffering from second hand embarrassment. "I'm sorry Horuss, but my parents want me back home."

He gave me a puzzled look, "I can understand that you respect your guardians, but why are you answerable to them if you're an adult by human standards?"

I gave him a somewhat strained smile, "Because I live in their house. Their house, their rules. I'll see you tomorrow Horuss."

He gave me a small reassuring smile of his own and walked me to the door. To my surprise, Gamzee was sitting in the living room with Equius and a huge troll that was wearing a suit containing circuit lines. My eyes brightened with a new idea, "Hey Horuss, why don't we make a shock suit to go with the invention?"

"What for?" Horuss asked curiously.

"Well if this is to appeal to humans, then it'll most likely be directed at children. Parents will want to get something that's safe. If we have a shock suit –"

"Then more humans will want to get it for their wards! Vara you're a genius!" Horuss exclaimed jovially.

"Don't thank me, thank your ancestor. He gave me the idea for the suit," I said with a shy smile towards the giant highblood. From where he sat, I could tell that he was shorter than Nashir and that his hair was really long. He had some kind of headgear that put shade lenses over his eyes. He was very muscular and imposing, his very presence demanding respect. "I'm sorry that I haven't gotten to know you as of yet, but I really must be heading home," I said in my most respectful apologetic tone.

The older troll, Darkleer nodded with a stern look about him, "See that you give a proper introduction the next time we cross paths, lowblood." Thanks to Horuss's prior warning, I didn't take offense to the way he called me lowblood in such a blunt manner.

Gamzee got up from his seat and met me at the door, "I'll up and motherfuckin' walk ya home sis." His eyes questioned why I was in such a hurry but he kept quiet about it as the Zahaak family saw us off.

As soon as we were out of earshot, he knelt in front of me. I shrugged, thinking what the hell, and climbed onto his back. It seemed that he enjoyed toting me around, so who was I to deny him, especially if it meant that I didn't have to walk as much. "Mind up and motherfuckin' explaining why you're in such a motherfuckin' hurry sis?" he asked in concern.

I pushed my face into his curly locks and sighed tiredly, "My mom heard about my job at the station and she doesn't exactly approve of me working with trolls. My parents aren't the accepting type. They barely tolerate my friends as it is. My mom sees you all as demons waiting to kill us all, and Dad thinks that your people are beneath us."

I could feel him shifting uncomfortably, "What do you up and motherfuckin' think?"

I gently tightened my hold around Gamzee's neck, "I think that they're wrong. You're different, and I find that amazing. I know that not all trolls will be as nice as you and Horuss, but hating every troll in the world would take up too much energy, energy that I would rather put into living a happy life – Make a right up ahead."

"That's a good motherfuckin' philosophy, sis. I like it. Stay up and firm in that belief because I feel like people will try to motherfuckin' change that," I hummed in thought at Gamzee's words. I noticed that we were getting really close to my house.

"You can drop me off right here Gamzee," I said.

Gamzee craned his neck to give me a look of disbelief, "Why?"

"Mom is really… vocal about her dislikes, and I don't want to put you through that," immediately after I finished speaking, Gamzee kept walking as if I never said anything.

"I'll fuckin' live."

I gave him an unconvinced look but rested my chin between his horns nonetheless, "If you're sure."

* * *

 **GAMZEE POV**

Sis needs to have way more motherfuckin' faith in me. It's so motherfuckin' adorable that she wants to protect me from her mom, but I can take a lot more abuse than motherfuckin' words. We arrived at a navy blue crosshairs hive with two cars parked in the driveway next it. I could see someone looking at us through the blinds and could only assume that it was her mother. I up and knelt down to let Vara get down and walked her to her door. I watched her reach out to grab the motherfuckin' door knob only for the door to swing open where a dark skinned woman with dark brown hair pulled up into a tight bun stood glaring at us.

I watched sis roll her shoulders back and stand tall. "You are in **so much** trouble young lady!" Messiahs! I think my eardrum was going to up and burst! The screaming lady's eyes fell on me and her glare intensified. "I just told you I didn't want you associating with those demons and you bring one home!? Did you hear to a damn word that I said?!"

Sis ignored that shit like a pro as she gestured to me, "Mom, this is my friend Gamzee. He has music classes with me."

Her mom wasn't so motherfuckin' impressed with her, "I don't give a rat's ass who he is! I don't want you around him!" At least I know where sis got her lungs from.

"Mom, you're causing a scene," Sis sighed, and I glanced around to see people coming out of their houses to see what the motherfuckin' commotion was about.

"Let them watch! No child of mine will associate themselves with those grey skinned savages!"

I could see sis's back visibly stiffen, and the next words to leave her mouth shocked me to my very core, "Well, it's a good thing you haven't hit menopause yet." My jaw dropped and I glanced at sis's mom to see that she was sporting a similar expression. Sis up and brushed by her mom and stepped into the house. "Can you wait for me Gamzee?" she asked, looking back at me.

I sputtered for a few moments before settling for just fuckin' nodding. She nodded back and disappeared inside the hive.

* * *

 **3** **RD** **POV**

Diana Afolter was at a loss for words. Her Vara. Her sweet, quiet, obedient Vara had just disobeyed her. She completely disregarded her mother's orders for one of those freaks! Trying to talk sense into her daughter, she rushed to Vara's room only to find her precious child was packing her things in a silver suitcase. "Why are you picking that demon over your own flesh and blood?" she demanded.

"I'm not picking Gamzee over you. I'm sticking to my beliefs," Vara answered curtly.

"And what exactly are these so called _beliefs_ ," Diana spat out the word as if it were poison.

Vara paused in her packing to give her mother a stern glare before continuing, "I believe that you shouldn't be able to pick my friends at this age. The way you acted was very rude and offensive not only to Gamzee but to me."

"You're saying I shouldn't be worried that my daughter is associating herself with an alien miscreant?"

Vara growled in frustration, "I'm saying that you were being racist and cruel! Horuss and Gamzee haven't done anything to you but you don't want me around them because they're trolls?! Don't you see the irony in that, how hypocritical that is?!"

Diana, seeing the point in her daughter's words tried to offer a different point, "And where will you go? I doubt any of your so called friends will take you in."

Vara angrily slammed her suitcase shut, "Actually, Dave and Dirk offered to room with me at their apartment."

Diana's eyes widened, "What?"

"I'll be back for the rest of my things."

Vara once again brushed passed her mother with her suitcase in hand. Gamzee cast the young woman a concerned glance as he followed her down the street. "Are you up and motherfuckin' sure about that sis? I mean, from my thinkpan's motherfuckin' understanding, she loved and raised you since you were a wriggler, right? So, why do you look so motherfuckin' calm when you're leaving her?"

Vara gave her friend a pained smile, "That's the thing about humans, Gamzee. We may look calm and we may act calm, but rarely are we ever truly calm."

Gamzee gave her a puzzled glance, "That don't make much sense, sis. How are we supposed to know that something's wrong if you don't show us?"

Vara blinked up at her grey skinned friend as she took in everything he said. She let out a watery chuckle as tears spilled from her cheeks, "I guess you're right. It doesn't make much sense." She tried to laugh it off, but it only came out as a strangled sob. She clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the flow, but it only proved to impair her vision even more. She was embarrassed that Gamzee could seeing her break down like this.

* * *

 **VARA POV**

My shoulders shook violently with each gasp of breath. My eyes snapped open when I heard shooshing as a hand tapped at my face to find Gamzee with a slightly panicked look of concern on his face as he continued to tap and shoosh. "Wh – what are you doing?" I sniffled.

Gamzee seemed a little relieved as he answered, "I'm giving you shoosh paps, sis. It's how we up and motherfuckin' comfort each other." I nodded and allowed him to continue, because the action was somehow comforting.

When I finally calmed down, I gave Gamzee a grateful smile, "Come on, we should get going before it gets dark." The tall indigo gave me a small smile before he scooped me up over his shoulder and grabbed my bags, earning surprised laughter from me. It was a welcomed change from the sad atmosphere from before. We would have passed the apartment building completely by if I didn't point it out to Gamzee, but I was glad that he was able to make me forget my troubles for the moment. He gently set me down so I could use the intercom for the Striders' apartment.

"Yo, is it the pizza guy?" Dirk asked groggily, no doubt waking up from his afternoon nap.

I smiled at the sound of my friend's voice, "I can make pizza, but I'm not a guy."

"Holy sh- CRASH! Dave clean up this goddamn mess! V's coming up!"

"Dude I'm not touching your fucking smuppets!" I heard Dave yell back before Dirk hung up.

Gamzee gave me a worried look, "What's a motherfuckin' smuppet?"

I waved him off with a reassuring smile, "It's just the name of these weird puppets that Dirk likes to make. They're nothing to worry about." I started for the elevator but paused when a thought occurred to me. "If Dirk asks if you want to meet someone named Lil Cal, run. Don't ask questions, don't say anything, just run away," I advised in complete seriousness as we stepped into the elevator when it arrived. I think he was beginning to question why he came with me.

When we arrived to the third floor, I led Gamzee to apartment 313 which had a lot of noise coming from it. Gamzee was practically hiding behind me as I went to knock on the door. The noise came to an abrupt end, and slowly the door opened to reveal a very disheveled Dirk. "Hey V, how's it goin'?" he said casually.

"What are you trying to hide Dirk?" I asked, not buying his casual act.

The albino scoffed nervously, "What – psh – no, what do you mean? I'm not hiding anything!"

CLANK!

"GOD FUCKING SHIT DAMNIT!" I followed the sound of Dave's shouting and found myself outside the workshop while ignoring Dirk's attempts to stop me. Originally the workshop was an extra room in their apartment but we cleared it out to fit all of Dirk's projects.

"Dave?" I asked cautiously as I stuck my head into the room to check on the other albino. I was met with the surprise of my life. I was completely frozen as my body shook to resonate with my internal screams.

"V?" I faintly heard Dave call for me.

"Sis?" I think Gamzee was worried about me.

They definitely were going to commit me to a mental asylum when my screams bubbled up into the real world as I raced into the workshop, scooped up the body that was crushing Dave under it, and began to spin with it in my arms while continuing my squeal. "I wanted this to be a surprise," Dirk sighed in disappointment.

"Uh, what the motherfuck is going on?" Gamzee demanded, on the verge of panicking.

"Gamzee, this is Lil Hal! He's an AI that Dirk and I made, but I didn't know that you started making his body!" I shouted in excitement as I helped Dave get back on his feet. Well technically there was only the upper half of Hal's body, but still.

"What's a motherfuckin' AI?" Gamzee asked curiously as he helped me lug Hal's body onto a metal table in the middle of the room. I smoothed his hair out of his face and took in the appearance of the artificial body.

"AI is short for Artificial Intellgence. Hal isn't organic and his consciousness began on a computer. His body feels like its mostly made of titanium and his face feels like silicone, but what is his hair made from?" I directed the last part to Dirk as I stroked the pale white hair absently.

Dirk puffed his chest out in pride but Dave took the wind out of his sails, "That's actually our mom's hair. She heard about Hal and she didn't want him to be bald, so she cut off like half of her hair so he wouldn't be."

I couldn't help but to let out an impressed whistle, as I carefully inspected what will be Hal's upper body. I can clearly see that Dirk is using the original design for the body, but the face being a carbon copy of his wasn't what I expected. His body was slender but then again neither Dirk nor I were able to incorporate muscles into the practical model of Hal's body. There were bright red circuit lines running along his body and up his cheeks along with his bright red optics. I couldn't help the giant grin that found it's way onto my face, "I just can't believe that my baby is finally getting a body!"

"I thought you motherfuckin' said that he wasn't real?" Gamzee asked.

I gasped and covered my poor baby's ears, "He can hear you! Of course he's real, its just that he was created differently."

Dirk chuckled at my offended expression, "V likes to think of Hal as her baby because she named him and designed the current model for his body. We never really decided on a face for him, so I just replicated mine."

"He's perfect Dirk. I can't wait until he's complete," I said jovially as we all left the workroom. Since I was the last one to leave the room, I turned back to the glowing red optics of Lil Hal. "Good night sweet prince," I said softly before turning the lights off and joined my friends in the living room.

"So, what brings you to our humble abode, V?" Dave asked as I stretched out on the couch and put my legs in his lap.

I ran a hand down my face tiredly as the events of today crashed down on me once more, "Does the offer to live with you guys still stand?"

Dirk and Dave exchanged solemn looks at my avoidance to their question. "What happened?" Dave demanded seriously, his gaze piercing through my hand.

"I'm finally moving out of my parents' house," I finally admitted.

Dirk gave me a derisive snort, "It's about damn time too. No offense, V, but your parents are fucking racist."

The sad thing is he's not even wrong. The way my mom acted toward Gamzee is the exact same way she's acted toward everyone since we were little. They always referred to them as my "white friends" when in all actuality they were my only friends. "I know, I just thought that they'd finally learn to accept you since we've been friends for so long," I heaved a deep sigh. "I guess that was just wishful thinking, huh?" I removed my hand so they could see my bitter smile.

Their expressions softened as Dave folded himself over my legs and began to play with my very ticklish toes. "As much as I'd like to agree with you… I can kind of understand where you're coming from. You wanted your parents to accept the people in your life and it hurts that they won't. Maybe the space will do you guys some good," he offered.

I slowly nodded, taking in his words, "Yeah, maybe you're right, but right now, I need to get unpacked and perhaps a little bit of sleep." I went to sit up but Dave pushed me back down.

"Nope, you're keeping your cute little baby feet right here so Bro can set up your room," Dave pouted as he refused to get off of my legs. I gave Dirk a pleading look, but he only ruffled my hair as he moved to grab my bags. I flopped back onto the couch with an exaggerated groan, earning a slight chuckle from Gamzee and Dave.

"Gamzee, save me! I'm being held captive by the Rapping Dragon!" I reached for the violet blood as if I was dying.

"I got ya sis!" Gamzee exclaimed as he leaped from his couch, onto Dave and I and began to tickle him. "The Tickle Monster is here to motherfuckin' save you!" Unfortunately the tickle monster attacked indiscriminately.

"Gamzee _eek_ stop!" I giggled and froze when I felt Gamzee's fingers retreat. I looked up to see him looking down at me in wonder before a nearly sinister grin spread across his face. I looked at Dave to see that he wore a matching expression. We sat there for a few seconds before I leapt over the couch and made a dash for the hall. I found Dirk exiting my new room and ducked behind him, pressing against his back to hide behind him. "You're my only hope Dirk!"

"Wha –"

"That's the most motherfuckin' adorable laugh I've ever heard in my motherfuckin' life!" Gamzee exclaimed as he slid to a stop in front of the older Strider.

I could feel chills go down my spine as I heard the albino chuckle, "Oh, **that's** what this is about." Before I could make a run for it, Dirk tossed me over his shoulder and started tickling my sides mercilessly.

" _Eek!_ No! Why _eek_ Dirk!" I attempted to cry in anguish. "I _eek_ hate my _eek_ laugh!"

"It's time to face facts V," Dirk said over my loud squeaking laughter, "your laugh is adorable."

"It up and motherfuckin' reminds me of a squeak beast," Gamzee said as he grinned at my torture.

"Don't you mean mouse?" Dave inquired.

"If that's what you motherfuckers call it," the indigo blood shrugged.

"Please Dirk _eek_ I'm gonna _eek_ pee myself! Whoa!" Dirk dropped me without hesitation, "Ow."

"You alright sis?" Gamzee asked, hovering over me.

I know that Gamzee meant if I was physically alright, but judging by the warmth in my chest, at least for this moment I felt like everything was actually going to be okay. I gave him a small, soft smile and replied, "Yeah, I think I am."

* * *

 **Alright everybody that's the end of this chapter. I know that it's a lot shorter than what you're used to but it's been a while. I've got to get used to writing for Vara again. In the meantime, you can all enjoy the fact that I'm back bitches!**


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